Page 63 of A Sudden Response

With a murmured, “Thank you,” Eric opened the file and began filling in their run sheet with Beverly’s medical history and insurance information. She was about to suggest that he letGreg do it when she spotted the man in question lounging lazily in a chair by the nurses’ station.

Great. Just what they needed, another Teddy to deal with, Joe thought dryly as she grabbed the stretcher and headed for Beverly’s room. She didn’t need to ask where it was. She was a favorite patient of theirs and every time they had to return a patient here, they stopped by to check on her. Beverly was barely five-foot-nothing and was one of the sweetest women Joe had ever met. If Joe could, she’d adopt the woman as her grandmother in a heartbeat.

“Joe!” Beverly said with a warm when she spotted her. Joe returned the smile as she pushed the stretcher against the wall before she walked over to help Beverly gather the things on her lap and move them to the nightstand.

“Are you here for me?” the older woman asked, smiling sweetly up at Joe.

“I’m here for you, darling. Joe’s just tagging along,” Eric announced as he walked into the room. He tossed the clipboard on the basket beneath the head of the stretcher and walked over to Beverly and took her frail hands into his. “Are you ready to run away with me yet, sweetheart? Just say the word and we can be in Vegas in a few hours, making our love legal.”

With a soft laugh, Beverly playfully swatted Eric’s hands away.

“Is this your way of denying our love once again?” Eric asked, pouting.

“I’m afraid so,” Beverly said matter-of-factly as she grabbed her reading glasses and a paperback novel and hugged them against her chest.

“What if I beg?” Eric asked, lowering the bed’s side rails.

“You already have,” Beverly pointed out with a smile.

Eric sighed dramatically. “It’s because you want a younger man, isn’t it? I’ve grown past my prime and now you’re done with me.”

Beverly nodded solemnly. “I’m afraid that’s it.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever recover,” Eric said as he leaned over and scooped Beverly up into his arms. Normally, they would have placed the stretcher against the bed and worked together to shift Beverly onto it, but she barely weighed a hundred pounds. Plus, they both knew that she got a kick out of being swept off her feet by a handsome man.

“Probably not,” Beverly agreed as Eric gently placed her on the stretcher and began strapping her in.

“Where’s Greg?” Joe asked when the man in question didn’t walk into the room by the time Beverly was loaded up and ready to go.

Eric’s lips twitched as he said, “He went for a walk.”

CHAPTER 27

“Are you going to tell me where Greg is yet?” Joe asked as she perused the vending machine selection the hospital provided for them.

“I might if you buy me a Coke,” Eric said, filling in the narrative section on the run sheet.

“You drive a hard bargain,” Joe said as she purchased a twenty-ounce bottle of Coke and placed it in front of him. “Okay, spill. What happened to our third rider?”

He opened the bottle and took a sip as Joe sat down on his lap and put her arm around him. His arm automatically went around her waist as he considered how to answer her.

“Did I mention that he went for a walk?” Eric asked, feeling his lips twitch from the memory.

“Yes, you said that,” Joe agreed as she stole his soda and took a sip.

“Did I mention that I discovered the reason why he was acting so goddamn cocky?” Eric asked offhandedly as he took the soda back from her and took a sip.

“No,” Joe said, pursing up her lips in thought. “I’m pretty sure I would have remembered that part.”

“Do you remember USG Ambulance?” Eric asked, knowing that she already did.

“That ambulance company you interviewed with a few years ago?” Joe asked, shifting to get more comfortable on his leg.

“Well, it seems that he interviewed with them last week and had his uncle put in a good word for him. They called to let him know that he got the job,” Eric said absently as he ran his eyes over her, appreciating the way her uniform fit her.

“I’m guessing that he got the call while I was talking to Beverly,” Joe guessed, giving him a sexy little smile as she gently cupped his chin and forced his eyes up.

“Apparently, they only require him to third ride for two shifts before they put him on the schedule,” Eric said, wondering if she’d be up to hunting down an empty supply closet and fulfilling another one of his fantasies.

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